rent strikes Flashcards
The Rent Strikes started in 1915 after landlords raised rent prices as more people were wanting to move into Glasgow.
Landlords threatened to evict women if they couldn’t pay their increasing rent rates and soon 25,000 tenants in Glasgow joined the strikes.
Similar strikes then started up in Dundee and Aberdeen.
Scots women showed their strength during the Rent Strikes.
In February 1915, local women set up the Glasgow’s Women’s Housing Association to resist rent strikes.
They protested by making eviction impossible for tenants by blocking themselves into stairwells and ‘bombing’ Sheriff Officers with bags of flour.
The Rent Strikes were caused by a greater need for housing for war workers in Scotland.
With limited options, workers searching for accommodation took what they could get and landlords raised rent prices as demand increased.
In Govan, for example, rents increased by around 20 percent.
The Rent Strikes had national importance in Scotland.
The munitions industry in Glasgow and the Clyde was very important to the war effort and any disturbance worried the Government.
Women argued they weren’t disturbing war efforts but instead were trying to prevent landlords profiteering and exploiting incoming war munitions workers.
The radicalisation of the women in the Rent Strikes inspired male factory workers.
A mass demonstration took place in Glasgow’s George Square on November 17th 1915 to protest against the prosecution of 18 Scottish tenants for non-payment and rent increases.
Seeing their success, men began to strike for wage increases which put the Government under pressure.
The Rent Strikes were partly caused by a lack of improvements in tenement blocks.
By 1915, Glasgow and the industrial west of Scotland had a huge population as war workers arrived looking for a place to live.
Bulk of Glasgow houses were tenement blocks and the conditions were poor and were made worse by a lack of tradesmen who were otherwise involved in the war effort.
The Government was worried about the consequences of the Rent Strikes.
They feared it could stop Britain from winning the war or could trigger support for a revolution in Britain.
The Rent Restriction Act 1915 was introduced to keep rent prices at 1914 levels.
Campaign groups were formed to try to prevent rent prices from increasing.
They held public meetings, spoke directly to politicians and produced propaganda posters to attract more supporters.
The Glasgow’s Women’s Housing Association was led by women such as Helen Crawford and Mary Barbour.
The Government supported women during the Rent Strikes.
The Government listened to womens demands about rent prices and believed the settlement was fair as they were not making excess demands.
They understood the strikes were provoked by landlords trying to take advantage of tenants to earn profits whilst their country was fighting in a war.
The Rent Strikes impacted wartime production.
Employers at Fairfields engineering company stated they wouldn’t allow any of their workers to move into the house of an evicted person.
Some munitions workers were taken to court over their involvement in the Rent Strike protests.
rent strikes points
- prices raised as more people in G
- showed strength
- greater need for housing
- national importance
- radicalisation inspired factory workers
- lack of improvements
- Gov worried about consequences
- campaign groups
- gov supported women
- impact on wartime production
